The Allen County Department of Health will continue in 2025 to work with community partners to promote and protect public health, providing them with needed resources to continue and expand efforts to improve the health of local residents.
News release from the Allen County Health Department:
Health First Allen County grant awards announced for 2025
Fort Wayne, Indiana (November 19, 2024) – The Allen County Department of Health will continue in 2025 to work with community partners to promote and protect public health, providing them with needed resources to continue and expand efforts to improve the health of local residents.
Health First Allen County (HFAC), a Department of Health initiative established in 2023, includes a public health grant program aimed at developing a robust and diverse platform for delivery of nearly two dozen Core Public Health Services. The inaugural round of grant awards was announced last year, and the Department of Health is again pleased to invest in the health of Allen County residents with the help of local organizations.
Download the full list of 2025 grants with explanations or view at the end of this post.
Today, we announce $2,911,500 in grant funding to organizations for work in eight Core Public Health Service areas: Maternal & Child Health; Student Health; Tobacco Cessation & Education; Trauma & Injury Prevention & Education; Access & Linkage/Referrals to Clinical Care; Chronic Disease Prevention & Reduction; Fatality Review & Prevention; and Child & Adult Immunizations.
“The commitment and dedication of so many of our partners to improving public health continues to excite and encourage us,” Department of Health Administrator Mindy Waldron said. “Once again, they stepped up to offer ideas to serve the residents of Allen County. We’re so thankful for their willingness and ability to help with such important issues.”
The Department of Health continues to provide essential services in areas such as immunizations and communicable disease testing and prevention, food inspection – including inspection of restaurants – and other consumer protection programs, vector and pollution control and abatement, and keeping and providing vital records such as birth and death certificates.
“We can do a lot to get and keep Allen County residents healthy, and these partners are essential to helping us expand our reach and do even more,” Allen County Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Gutwein said. “We’re excited to continue working to move the needle toward improving health in our community.”
HFAC was launched after intensive study of the state’s public health delivery system, which resulted in the Health First Indiana funding and service delivery initiatives. Indiana lawmakers and Allen County officials approved new and much-need funding for local health departments across the state to make improvements, including providing or working with partners to provide the Core Public Health Services.
In addition to Key Performance Indicators (KPI) required through the state initiative, the Department of Health is developing local KPIs for 2025 in areas that will address infant mortality, communicable disease prevention, childhood lead testing and case management, as well as childhood and adult vaccinations.
List of the 2025 Grant Awards & Summaries
A Hope Center – $50,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Maternal & Child Health
Project Summary: Providing maternal & child health services such as screenings and referrals, as well as the addition of car seat installation and safety check services for clients.
A Mother’s Hope, Inc. – $70,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Maternal & Child Health
Project Summary: Providing housing and supportive services to foster a nurturing environment that promotes health, wellness and stability for pregnant women and their babies experiencing homelessness.
Alive Community Outreach – $50,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Student Health
Project Summary: By cultivating a community of nonviolence, Alive Community Outreach is dedicated to creating a healthier, more equitable community where every individual can thrive, free from the barriers imposed by violence, trauma and systemic inequities.
Allen County Drug & Alcohol Consortium – $30,000 (MINI-GRANT)
Core Public Health Service Area: Tobacco Cessation & Education
Project Summary: Implementation of evidence-based vaping prevention programming providing education and resources to Allen County students to increase knowledge of vaping risks, resist peer pressure and decrease overall vaping use in current and future youth.
Amani Family Services – $150,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Trauma & Injury Prevention & Education
Project Summary: Continued expansion of staffing and programming serving the increasing immigrant and refugee populations of Allen County to allow provision of assessments, education and facilitation of support groups with a focus on substance use disorder prevention.
Associated Churches of Fort Wayne & Allen County, Inc. – $65,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Maternal & Child Health
Project Summary: Expansion and support of both A Baby’s Closet (ABC) and Journey Beside Mothers (JBM) programs supporting low-income expectant mothers and families with infants and toddlers focused on improving health outcomes for mothers and children.
Associated Churches of Fort Wayne & Allen County, Inc. – $30,000 (MINI-GRANT)
Core Public Health Service Area: Trauma & Injury Prevention & Education – FALL PREVENTION
Project Summary: “The Art of the Fall” – Evidence-based Fall Prevention Programming for Senior Citizens
Blessings in a Backpack – $38,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Student Health
Project Summary: Supporting the partnership with the Allen County Public Library’s 10-week summer children’s initiative to provide Allen County children suffering from food insecurity with backpacks containing nutritious foods.
Bowen Health (in support of Connect Allen County) – $50,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Access & Linkage/Referrals to Clinical Care
Project Summary: Support and continuation of the “No Wrong Door” access center connecting Allen County residents with partner services including job works programs, community development, child welfare and developmental disabilities as well various navigational programming supports.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Indiana – $100,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Student Health
Project Summary: Expansion of the organization’s Triple Play multi-faceted program with a specific focus on the whole child (mind, body and soul) as well as programming toward the development of life-long skills that support overall health education.
Cancer Services of Allen County, Inc., d/b/a Cancer Services of Northeast Indiana – $30,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Access & Linkage/Referrals to Clinical Care
Project Summary: Provision of transportation assistance to connect those with cancer to lifesaving medical care and support services. Removing these transportation barriers will allow vulnerable people to access needed health care services and will increase overall health equity.
Child Advocacy Center of Allen County, Inc. – $20,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Access & Linkage/Referrals to Clinical Care
Project Summary: The Dr. Bill Lewis Center for Children partners with families and provides responsive advocacy for children who have experienced alleged sexual or physical abuse.
Children’s Autism Center, Inc. – $56,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Chronic Disease Prevention & Reduction
Project Summary: Obesity is a significant public health issue for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), affecting nearly 50% of children due to food selectivity and parental stress around mealtime. This leads to a reliance on more accepted, but less nutritious foods. This continued project creates targeted programming to address obesity in individuals with autism through nutrition, exercise and parental training.
Children’s Health Collaborative – $10,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Student Health
Project Summary: Expansion of the “9-Healthy Habits Initiative” integrating evidence-based health strategies into schools and after-school care programs, fostering lasting improvements in student health behaviors.
Community Transportation Network, Inc. – $115,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Access & Linkage/Referrals to Clinical Care
Project Summary: Continued support for specialized transportation for low-income seniors and people with disabilities, specifically helping those who are not aligned with another agency.
Euell A. Wilson Center – $90,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Chronic Disease Prevention & Reduction
Project Summary: Continued implementation of a comprehensive, evidence- and rewards-based obesity prevention program that serves youth attending EAWC out-of-school programming.
Fort Wayne Community Schools – $8,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Student Health
Project Summary: Implementing the evidence-based “Playworks” programming to better equip students with life-long skills and knowledge in many areas including physical activity and overall positive behaviors.
Fort Wayne Downtown Improvement District – $50,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Access & Linkage/Referrals to Clinical Care
Project Summary: Implementation of “The Downtown Ambassador Program,” which will strengthen our collective health by engaging our shared downtown community to build authentic relationships in a dedicated effort to inform, connect, and support our most vulnerable populations, such as those experiencing homelessness, to ensure greater awareness of and access to medical and social services.
GiGi’s Playhouse Fort Wayne – $30,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Chronic Disease Prevention & Reduction
Project Summary: Continuing and increasing health and wellness programs offering healthy eating and exercise/strength, programming & education for those with Down syndrome and their families.
Harold W. McMillen Center for Health Education – $150,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Chronic Disease Prevention & Reduction
Project Summary: Providing vital, effective preventive health education programs to 7,532 Allen County youth and adults focusing on nutrition, safe sleep, social-emotional health and smoking cessation.
HealthVisions Midwest of Fort Wayne – $66,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Chronic Disease Prevention & Reduction
Project Summary: Continued implementation of “The HEART Program,” which tackles health disparities in Allen County by reducing chronic disease and improving overall well-being through culturally competent and linguistically appropriate personalized health coaching and evidence-based interventions.
Healthier Moms and Babies, Inc. – $130,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Maternal & Child Health
Project Summary: Expansion of existing programming focusing on the well-being of mothers and children in vulnerable populations addressing and improving factors that influence infant mortality and birth outcomes.
HearCare Connection, Inc. – $25,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Access & Linkage/Referrals to Clinical Care
Project Summary: Expansion and support for providing access to vital health care services including hearing testing and hearing aid fittings for underserved individuals to support overall health and well-being, help improve quality of life and earnings potential for adults, as well as to help children develop communication and social skills important for development and academic success.
Indiana University Health, Inc. – $63,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Fatality Review & Prevention
Project Summary: Health Equity, Access, Outreach & Treatment for underserved, diverse communities at trusted community sites, focusing on cardiovascular disease (CVD) health determinants through hypertension prevention and education for the adult African American population, thereby reducing the consequences of undermanaged hypertension.
League for the Blind & Disabled, Inc. – $35,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Access & Linkage/Referrals to Clinical Care
Project Summary: The League’s Benefit Enrollment Center (BEC) assists low-income people with disabilities on Medicare and seniors age 60+ with financial benefits that can improve the quality of their lives and help them maintain their independence.
Life Restoration Services, Inc., d/b/a The Lighthouse – $50,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Trauma & Injury Prevention & Education
Project Summary: Continuation and expansion of The Lighthouse’s residential and community-based Anchored Program designed for individuals struggling with Substance Use Disorder seeking an independent sober lifestyle.
Live Healthy Hoosiers – $7,500
Core Public Health Service Area: Chronic Disease Prevention & Reduction
Project Summary: Implementation of the “Live Healthy” program, which is a 16-week, evidence-based intensive lifestyle change program rooted in the principles of lifestyle medicine, as defined by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, aimed at improving overall health and chronic disease, with a predominant focus on adopting a whole-food, plant-based eating lifestyle.
Lutheran Social Services, Inc. – $100,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Maternal & Child Health
Project Summary: Continued provision of the ECHO (Education Creates Hope and Opportunity) program, which assists pregnant and parenting teens and young adults to achieve their high school education, which is a key component to addressing the social determinants of health, while also achieving health outcomes for themselves and their children.
Matthew 25, Inc. – $67,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Access & Linkage/Referrals to Clinical Care
Project Summary: Improving access to comprehensive health care services for low-income and uninsured individuals with an emphasis on diabetes prevention & education, immunizations, eyeglasses & vision care and a smoking cessation program.
Neighborhood Health Clinic – $38,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Student Health
Project Summary: Expansion of school-based health care for Allen County students, including on-site dental care and virtual medical visits.
Northeast Indiana Positive Resource Connection, Inc. – $112,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Access & Linkage/Referrals to Clinical Care
Project Summary: Expansion and growth of HIV case management services and HIV, Hepatitis C and Syphilis testing and education to the Latinx men and women in Allen County.
Parkview Hospital, Inc. – $125,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Chronic Disease Prevention & Reduction
Project Summary: Expansion and continuation of the FitKids360 programming, which is an eight-week well-being program designed to empower children and their families by instilling lifelong, healthy behaviors in a supportive and engaging environment.
Parkview Hospital, Inc. (in partnership with Tobacco Free Allen County) – $50,000 (MINI-GRANT)
Core Public Health Service Area: Tobacco Cessation & Education
Project Summary: Tobacco Free Allen County will pilot implementation of Stanford REACH Lab’s Healthy Futures, an evidence-based, vaping intervention curriculum, at East Allen County Schools (EACS) over the 2025-26 academic year, providing small-group and one-on-one educational, non-punitive interventions to address underlying drivers of youth nicotine use, as well as motivate and empower students to regain and sustain vape-free lives.
Petra Solutions LLC – $10,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Access & Linkage/Referrals to Clinical Care
Project Summary: Implementation of the “Empowering Northeast Indiana” project, which will enhance language access in Allen County’s health care sector by providing training, technical assistance and resources to organizations and interpreters, promoting equitable and culturally competent care for all residents.
project.ME-FW, Inc. – $25,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Trauma & Injury Prevention & Education
Project Summary: Expansion of drop-in recovery support, through tangible resources, for individuals who are experiencing homelessness, and concerns related to substance use, mental health and/or justice involvement.
Respect 360, d/b/a RespectTeam – $20,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Student Health
Project Summary: RespectTeam will deepen its impact in Allen County, offering educator-requested mental health education programming focused on a variety of critical student health topics (such as suicide, mental health, stress, social media, diversity and bullying) in middle and high school classrooms.
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northeast Indiana, Inc. – $51,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Access & Linkage/Referrals to Clinical Care
Project Summary: Continued provision of preventive pediatric care to children 0-18 years of age who lack access to a medical home.
SCAN, Inc. – $100,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Trauma & Injury Prevention & Education
Project Summary: Expansion of services to provide support for substance misuse and child trauma prevention in Allen County.
Schools Care, Inc., d/b/a School Care Team – $75,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Student Health
Project Summary: Continued provision of education and instruction to increase emotional resilience and well-being, focusing on students and teachers in Allen County.
St. Joseph Community Health Foundation – $50,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Access & Linkage/Referrals to Clinical Care
Project Summary: Creation of an online directory of, and referral to, low-cost, free, quality prenatal and infant care resources available in Allen County.
Super Shot, Inc. – $200,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Child & Adult Immunizations
Project Summary: Continuation and expansion of community immunization clinics, outreach immunization clinics, school-based immunization clinics and education.
The Fort Wayne Rescue Mission – $40,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Access & Linkage/Referrals to Clinical Care
Project Summary: Provision of transportation to accompany the facility’s residents to offsite health care and social service appointments and provision of in-person advocacy and assistance at these appointments.
Turnstone Center For Children & Adults with Disabilities – $15,000 (MINI-GRANT)
Core Public Health Service Area: Trauma & Injury Prevention & Education – FALL PREVENTION
Project Summary: Implementation of “Bingocize,” an evidence-based program to reduce the risk of falls of older adults and people with disabilities
Wellspring Interfaith Social Services, Inc. – $45,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Chronic Disease Prevention & Reduction
Project Summary: Improvement and expansion of the Wellspring Nutrition Program working toward lifestyle transformation aimed at reducing obesity through nutritional education, hands-on cooking classes and healthy eating.
YMCA of Greater Fort Wayne – $25,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Fatality Review & Prevention Programs
Project Summary: Expansion of the Diabetes Prevention Program to engage new adult populations at risk of or diagnosed with prediabetes, with a focus on reaching low-income households and racial minorities both within and beyond YMCA facilities.
YMCA of Greater Fort Wayne – $20,000 (MINI-GRANT)
Core Public Health Service Area: Trauma & Injury Prevention & Education – FALL PREVENTION
Project Summary: Expansion of the evidence-based “EnhanceFitness®” program to its facilities and partner senior living centers, focusing on reducing fall risks among older adults.
Youth For Christ of Northern Indiana – $15,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Student Health
Project Summary: Continuation of the “RealTALK” programming, which is an effective mentoring program designed to create community, accountability and a safe place for teens to share in a small group of their peers.
YWCA Northeast Indiana – $160,000
Core Public Health Service Area: Access & Linkage/Referrals to Clinical Care
Project Summary: Through the YWCA’s co-located domestic violence services and addiction recovery program, they will work to ensure vulnerable populations are being connected to necessary health and mental health care services in Allen County through referrals and coordinated support services
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